Thread: 3/13/11 First Decent Straight Shave

Hello, I've been using the straight for about two weeks now, and today I actually feel like I did a decent job with it. My equipment is a Crown and Sword 1720, The Van Der Hagen Kit for brush and soap, and a Scalpmaster Barber Strop. I have had poor results shaving with the grain on any style of razor, so I go against the grain with the straight, and it's what is working for me. So far so good!

-JDCAL29 (Jim)

Congrats! If your having trouble shaveing WTG it posible your razor might not be sharp enough. Crown and sword can be Pain to hone and it might not be shave ready. Your shave should be comfortable and no irritation, or at least very little to none.

congrats on the decent shave. On a side note, how do you like that scalpmaster strop. I am just asking because i hate mine. It is not flat, it was very hard and I don't think it it very good at all. I have and SRD strop on the way to compare it to. Maybe, if yours is like mine, the bad WTG shave is from the poor strop. But, if it is working for you, I must have just got a bad one. Just some food for thought.

I know that the razor is shave ready. I sent it to someone on SRP Member Services to Hone and Strop. I don't have anything to compare the scalpmaster strop to, so I guess I like it. My stropping technique may not be the best, and I'm fully aware of the fact that I may very well be the reason why the results aren't there. Now I'm torn though. Do I continue using this blade and practicing stropping with it, or should I purchase a nicer razor. The last thing I want to do is get a nice razor and then ruin the edge with poor stropping. -Jim